Edinburgh, Scotland

We took the train to Bristol (£5.20 [$10] each) and the bus to the airport (£5 [$9.25] each). We then flew from Bristol to Edinburgh on BA Connect for £24.50 each ($45.12, cheaper and faster than the train). The bus from the airport to Waverly Bridge was £3 ($5.50) each. We arrived in Edinburgh at 5 pm. Unfortunately, this was during the England-Portugal World Cup quarterfinal match. We stayed at the Edinburgh Travelodge (£60 [$110] a night; no breakfast or A/C), quite a hike from Waverly Bridge (NOTE: if you do this, don't go up the curvy street [it's very steep!]; cross over to the pretty "North Bridge," which is a much easier walk). That night, we ate at Pizza Hut (delicious but extremely expensive [$18 for 8 slices]) and pop (caffeine-free Diet Coke for the first time on my trip!).

Rain and Royalty: Edinburgh, Scotland We took the train to Bristol (£5.20 [$10] each) and the bus to the airport (£5 [$9.25] each). We then flew from Bristol to Edinburgh on BA Connect for £24.50 each ($45.12, cheaper and faster than the train). The bus from the airport to Waverly Bridge was £3 ($5.50) each. We arrived in Edinburgh at 5 pm. Unfortunately, this was during the England-Portugal World Cup quarterfinal match. We stayed at the Edinburgh Travelodge (£60 [$110] a night; no breakfast or A/C), quite a hike from Waverly Bridge (NOTE: if you do this, don't go up the curvy street [it's very steep!]; cross over to the pretty "North Bridge," which is a much easier walk). That night, we ate at Pizza Hut (delicious but extremely expensive [$18 for 8 slices]) and pop (caffeine-free Diet Coke for the first time on my trip!).
	The next day was a Sunday; we set out to find the Albany Deaf Church of Edinburgh (meets at Greenside Parish Church on Royal Terrace) to attend their 10:00 am service. We arrived early; no one was around. We noticed a path just beyond the church and hiked up. It lead to this amazing view! It turned out the deaf congregation doesn't meet on the first Sunday of the month, so we headed on.
There is a heart in the sidewalk on the way to the Castle.
	This was probably my favorite thing in Edinburgh: their beautiful floral clock. Even the hands are covered in botanicals! We weren't there at the hour, but it appears they even have a cuckoo! Beware: the TI was unable to explain to me how to find the clock. We were very frustrated trying to find it (we enjoyed the painted cows, my sister's favorite, while I tried to figure out how to find it). In the end, I used the Rick Steves map and a guess and found it.
It rained for most of our day in Edinburgh. On this page, I have only included photos taken while it was not raining. This is a view of the castle taken from the floral clock.
Notes on Edinburgh:
Note that UK airports are quite different from the US. They don't require you to show ID! You can leave change in your pocket as you go through security!?! You wait in a "departure lounge" (where most or all of the shops and restaurants are) until a screen says it's time to go to your gate. We ate McDonald's burgers again here. Check for cheap flights before taking a long train ride! Rick Steves recommends www.skyscanner.net. I used it and found two cheap flights!	Our hotel and the TI were both able to give us free maps of Edinburgh. The Sainsbury's grocery store near the Scott monument was very nice. I will not use an easyinternetcafe again. Their rates were not that good (£2 [$3.75] for an hour), AND the three of the terminals crashed or locked up while we were on them!